1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to outdoor hazard and marker lighting for automobile parking lots, and in particular to a parking space barrier block equipped with a solar-powered safety light.
2. Description of the Prior Art
All business operators have the responsibility to maintain their property in a manner that makes it reasonably safe for public use. If they do not, and an accident occurs, the property owner is liable for damages. Therefore it is important for the business owner (and employees) to take all reasonable steps to prevent the occurrence of an accident on business property, including parking lot facilities. The parking lot owner is responsible for maintaining the parking lot in a manner such that it is reasonably safe for people using it.
Conventional outdoor parking lots are equipped with parking space barrier blocks, or wheel stops, that maintain orderly alignment of vehicles in parking spaces. The primary purpose of a parking block is to provide a front tire bumper that limits the forward parking placement of an automobile within a defined parking space. Parking blocks also prevent drivers from parking too close to a building, roadway, sidewalk or lawn. Parking blocks are easy to stumble over since they extend only a few inches from ground level, and so are difficult to see at night. Inadequate lighting is the leading cause of personal injuries caused by slip and falls over conventional parking blocks.
Outdoor lighting systems, including overhead lighting, hazard warning and marker lighting, have been used primarily for illuminating parking lots and sidewalks, located adjacent shopping centers and sports facilities. It is common to have these outdoor lights powered by electricity that is produced by a public utility company located at a remote generating facility, for example by a hydroelectric power plant, fossil fuel burning power plant or a nuclear power plant. In recent times, concerns have been raised that the high demand for electricity is straining the capacity of existing electricity generating plants. Moreover, concerns regarding the availability and environmental safety of fossil and nuclear fuel are being raised. As a result of the above factors, the price of electricity has increased substantially and alternative, renewable energy sources for supplying electrical power are now being developed for outdoor lighting and other applications as well.
A fundamental limitation on the use of conventional AC power distribution for outdoor lighting equipment is that an electrical power outlet may not be available at each point of service. This makes the supply of electricity prohibitively expensive in most cases for lighting equipment that is to be installed at remote locations where public utility service lines are not already available. This limitation is especially acute where multiple items of service load equipment are distributed over a large area, such as an outdoor parking lot, where very little space is available for accommodating the installation of AC power distribution conductors.
Various exterior lighting systems have been devised for remote applications using photovoltaic solar panels in conjunction with storage batteries. These exterior lighting systems have been designed such that solar energy is converted to electrical current by an array of photovoltaic cells, which charge a storage battery during daylight hours. The storage battery can subsequently provide electrical current for a lighting unit at night or at day during periods of low intensity ambient light. These systems are designed specifically for a rechargeable storage battery that is mounted on a fixed pole or tower.
Tower-mounted solar panel/battery storage units provide an independent power source for supplying outdoor lighting fixtures that are installed at remote locations. However, tower-mounted solar installations have been limited somewhat because of the costs involved with installation and maintenance, problems with battery systems, compliance with building code restrictions and vulnerability to vandalism and storm damage. Solar panel installations for parking lot applications have also been limited by the need to avoid encroachment on parking spaces and the cost of running underground AC power distribution cables from a central tower-mounted solar panel unit.